In My Darkest Hour
by Elandil
Summary: What if there was more to the bond between shinigami and their zanpakuto spirit than anyone had ever imagined? And what if the spirits were something more than had ever been guessed? One Shots where Naruto characters are the base of certain Zanpakuto spirits: 1. Ukitake. 2.Rangiku, 3. Isane
1. Ukitake Jushiro

It was an well accepted truth that all shinigami had a companion soul in their zanpakuto, the spirit that would aid them in their times of greatest need, but none of them ever believed that the bond could go both ways. No one truly knew the origins of these spirits, and though the common theory was that they had developed from the souls of their hosts, representing their true powers and desires, it was never actually confirmed. Zanpakuto spirits just were, a simple fact of life that no one protested.

The bond between wielder and spirit was another one of these unquestioned assumptions. Some people just seemed to have a better connection to their spirits, some of them could barely stand each other... either way, it was never put under much scrutiny. However, if anyone had ever thought to look, only a little bit deeper into the true origins of the spirits, they would have been truly surprised at what they found...

 **Ukitake Jushiro:**

For the young captain of the 13th Division, being forced out of commission due to illness was something that was depressingly familiar. Despite the best efforts of the entire 4th division, no one could find any reason for the illness that continuously caused his own body to rebel against him. Still, he had had time to accept the inconvenience and, though it had aggravated him at the start, he was now able to see the small, silver lining of his position.

Where as many of the shinigami around him rushed through their lives, living from one fight to the next, Jushiro was able to take a step back now and then, to take a break from the normal rush of the gotei 13 and, even though these breaks normally occurred within the confines of his personal rooms, they had taught him to appreciate the more docile things in life. Like dreams for instance.

Ever since he could remember, the young shinigami had been able to tell when he was dreaming. There was always a faint twinge in the back of his mind that told him what he was seeing was all just fictional. It had been the absence of this instinctual warning that had first alerted him to the true nature of the dreams he had had in regards to his Zanpakuto before he was found by the Captain Commander, and it was this that also informed him that there was something not quite right about his present situation.

Yet another relapse had seen the young captain confined to his rooms once again, but now he found himself in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by trees that looked far older than any he had seen in soul society. They seemed to hold a strange energy too, one that existed on the very edges of his sensory range, not quite reiatsu but similar... it was definitely intriguing.

Above him, nested in the loft boughs, he could just make out the cheerful sound of bird song, a chorus so similar, but still subtly different to the ones back home. Despite this, the small clearing in which he found himself held an aura of peace that seemed to seep into his very being. It was oddly soothing, and he would have been quite content to remain there, soaking in the atmosphere for a good deal longer had it not been for the soft sounds of a wounded animal that seemed to shatter the stillness, despite their deceptively low volume.

Always the one to jump straight to compassion, a trait his old superiors were often quick to criticise but that he maintained anyway, Jushiro began to make his way towards the origin of the sound, though he took great care to ensure that his presence remained undetected by anyone who might have been watching.

A few steps closer to the origins of the noise, and it became clear that what he had first thought to be the distressed whimpers of a wounded animal, were actually the small, heart wrenching sobs of a child, and it was enough to pull a small frown onto his normally compassionate face even as his pace quickened slightly. In his time in the gotei 13, he had heard the sound of bereavement often enough to be able to recognise it when it was before him, but it was never an emotion that he would have wished upon a child.

Coming to the edge of the tree line, the white haired man paused in the shadows, wanting to take in the situation before making his presence known, though what he saw confused him.

Obviously, the path he had taken must have had an unnoticed incline as he found himself coming to the crest of a hill, one which gave quite a spectacular view of a small village down bellow, though the sight only held his attention for a brief second. Instead, his eyes were drawn to an oddly shaped rock that had been mounted on a pedestal with neat columns of what looked to be names carved into its surface... and there, at the base of this monument, was the hunched over form of a child.

The boy, for the frame was not slender enough to belong to a girl that age, was curled into himself, leaning forwards towards the stone with his arms tightly wound around his own chest as though to hold himself together. Although it was difficult to tell from behind, and his crouched over state was not helping at all, Jushiro guessed that the boy was quite short, though what surprised him was the shock of unruly silver hair that the crown of his head. It was unusual to find someone so young with such a distinctive colour, and it only served to pique his interest further. Before he knew it, his curiosity had overrun his caution and he found himself speaking.

"What makes you so sad, child, that you weep as though your heart is breaking?"

The reaction to his words was as immediate as it was violent. The child span round whilst managing to shift his countenance from pained defeat to aggression in the space of the movement. One hand drifted down to the pouch on his thigh in an almost unconscious movement, while the other moved in front of his face to form some form of gesture using two of his fingers. All in all, it was a rather impressive reaction for a child, and Jushiro would have applauded him for his weariness if he had not been caught by the crushing pain visible in the single, obsidian eye.

He had seen guilt before, it had always been a presence in the shinigami corps, haunting the eyes of officers who had been just that split second too late, or that one wit too slow in their plans, but never had he seen such a quantity in a mere child (and from checking the boy's soul he could tell that he was definitely a child, barely more than a decade old). For a long second, he was caught in this world weary gaze, and it was all he could do not to go and pull the child to him in silent comfort.

He knew that he was staring, but it wasn't until the boy barked out a short question that came across as more of an order to identify himself, before he was able to bring himself to look away. With a sigh, he shifted to lean back against one of the trunks behind him, hoping that his relaxed pose would help to put the boy at ease.

"Who I am doesn't matter, and it is rude to answer a question with another question Shiro-kun."

He knew that the nickname would quite probably only annoy the boy further, but at that present moment, he really didn't care. Anything would be better than that dull spark of despondence and grief hidden in the child's eyes, even if it meant that he would be attacked.

For a long moment, the boy merely stared at him, seemingly sizing him up as an apponent, and the 13th captain worked hard to keep his presence as unthreatening as possible, making sure to keep his body lax even tough he desperately wanted to tense up. However, the boy evidently judged him not to be an enemy and soon turned back to the stone, the movement slow and deliberate in a way that was obviously meant to be a dismissal. Still, Jushiro remained where he was and the two of them proceeded to ignore each other for a good while.

As time stretched on, the shinigami continued to inspect the boy, noting that he seemed to share the same energy that he could feel in the trees, rushing through the bark against his shoulders, and it really did serve to intrigue him, but time as an officer had taught him the value of patients and he was able to hold his tongue, even as he continued with his assessment.

He had not registered it before, being so caught up in the moment, but the way the boy moved appeared strange, slightly stiff in a way that bespoke some deeper injury that those he could see covered by the bandages on his arms, (the only bit of bear skin he could see), half of his face and one eye were even covered by the thin gauze. Thinking back on the immediate defensive reflex and adding the knowledge of injuries, the brief thought that the boy could have been abused flashed through his mind, but he soon squashed that idea. The boy had been too confident when he spoke for that to have been the case.

Even as the time dragged on an the sun moved across the sky, the countenance of the boy seemed to change, and the child seemed to retreat in on himself. He did not begin to cry again, and it was obvious that he was still, on some level, aware of the shinigami's presence, but he had soon lost himself to his thoughts again and the heavy mood returned.

For 2 hours Jushiro remained where he was, barely moving as he watched the child shrink down before the stone, looking for everyone to see like the world was resting on his shoulders, and that the weight was practically crushing him. Eventually, even Jushiro's hard won patience ran out, and he moved forwards to seat himself beside the boy. The child merely glanced at him for a second, but did not flinch away, he took this for a good sign.

"You know... heavy thoughts can crush a man if he tries to deal with them alone and even a great monument needs support to keep it standing tall. It is not a weakness to go to those who love you for help."

That comment garnered him a glare and not much else, but the white haired captain wasn't discouraged. The boy's ire was lighter than his grief at least, and it helped that, when the silence did return, it seemed a little more contemplative, and a little less crushing. Deigning that it would probably be counter-productive to keep pushing the boy when he so clearly did not want to talk, Jushiro allowed himself to fall back to his thoughts, though he consciously began to emit soothing waves of rieatsu in an imitation of what he had seen Unohana do for disorientated patients. He had never done it before, and he had no idea if he was even doing it right, but little by little, the boy seemed to relax at his side and he allowed himself a small grin, happy to be a sense of comfort, even if there was very little else he could do.

A few more hours passed in this manner, with the two of them just sitting together in an altogether more comfortable silence, and the white haired shinigami had allowed himself to fall into a doze. He had not really expected the child to speak, so when he did, the captain was caught entirely off guard and he almost missed the softly spoken comment, the words firm as a promise despite the whispered tone.

" _Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. Rin!"_

It took a moment for the words to actually process, and by the time the shinigami looked across to where his silent companion had been sitting, he was greeted with nothing but empty space and a small gust of wind. It didn't take long after that, for the bemused captain to find himself waking up in his fuuton, exactly where he had been before the dream- that- was- not- a- dream had begun. It had been an oddly abrupt ending to a strange scenario.

Although he had no idea who the boy could be, and he highly doubted that he would ever find out, the young Captain was not able to stop thinking about him for a long time after the meeting. The sheer agony he had seen in the boy's body language was enough to keep him guessing at the cause, though in the end he had no way of knowing. Instead, he merely hoped that he had been able to offer some form of comfort, though he really hadn't done much.

In the end, thoughts of the boy faded, pushed out by the duties of a captain as he slowly adapted to the post, and hidden by the worries of his day to day life, but he was never gone completely, always there on the very edges of his awareness. And if, the next time he went to speak to Sogyo no Kotowari, their communication seemed to be a little faster, a little more instinctual that it was before... well, how was he to make the connection?

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 **A/N: There, I hope you enjoyed this little plot bunny that has been kicking around in my head for months, and has actually been making it hard to concentrate on anything else...**

 **IMPORTANT: these are just ideas that I might develop into a full story at a late point if there is any interest, but please bear in mind that these are only snippets of events. Thank you.**

 **I don't know if I am going to leave this as a one shot, or if I will do some of the other characters (I have some ideas) but if you want to see more, or have an idea for one of the pairs, feel free to make a suggestion!**

 **Anyway, its the first of this kind that I have ever written, so... thoughts?**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **Ella**


	2. Matsumoto Rangiku

**A/N: okay... first off? I have to say I did not, in anyway, expect this story to garner such a response, I thought it would be read by 1 or 2 people at most, but I guess you guys really showed me :) You People are Amazing! Anyway, the response kinda prompted me to write this new one, so I hope you enjoy!**

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 **Warnings: Mentions of killing, violence and attempted rape.**

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 **Matsumoto Rangiku:**

May people saw the newly appointed 9th seat of the 10th and were only able to see so far as her outer beauty. Not one of them could see past her large bust and golden hair to the true talent that laid beneath, but, if she was being honest with herself, she didn't really care. If they weren't intelligent enough to see through to the real her, then they weren't worth her time. After all, humans were scum, she had learned that at a very young age.

She never really spoke of her past, any many of the people who knew her just assumed that she had been with Gin from the very beginning, or, at least, from early on, but what they didn't understand, was that she had been alone for nearly 20 years before the fox like boy had found her. And it was in those years that she learned one very important fact:

 _If she ever wanted anything in life, she had to take it for herself_.

Life in any district of Rokungai was never easy for a child, and that difficulty was doubled if you happened to be female. The number of times she had been blatantly flirted with, hit on, propositioned, and in some cases, had men attempt to down right force themselves on her... well, it wasn't worth wasting the brain cells in counting them. It wasn't like she was going to inform the others about this anyway, even if it had lead her to her one and only friend in life.

It had been one of the particularly frightening times that had had her running off blindly from the dark alley. She hadn't had any idea of where she was heading, she just wanted to get away from the horrible shop keeper with the grime stained face and rotting teeth... and it was this desire that drove her deeper into the forests that surrounded the small village than she had ever gone before. It wasn't safe to run in so deep, especially not alone and so late at night, but at this point, she was beyond caring. 15 years of struggling to survive and she now felt that any hollow interested in eating her would be welcomed.

It had already been late at night when she had been cornered by the man, and it had taken a lot of strength to over power him just to get away, so by this time she was practically dead on her feet, but she wouldn't let that stop her as she just continued to run further, not paying any attention to her surroundings, or the fact that the air had begun to feel colder, drier and holding a sharp bite she had never experienced before. Still, it was pretty hard to miss it when the leaf strewn forest floor morphed into the shifting sands of a desert beneath her feet, and it was this that brought her up short.

Gasping for breath and desperately wiping at the tears that were streaming down her cheeks in a futile attempt to clear her vision, she tried to take stock of the world around her.

She appeared to be in the back street of some village, but it was not like any she had ever seen before. The buildings were strangely shaped, and seemed to be made from material the same colour as the grit beneath her feet rather than the wood she was so used to. Added to this, they all seemed so tall...

Shivering in the night air now that the warmth of her exertion had worn off, the young girl wrapped her arms tightly around herself and began to explore a little more.

After a solid half hour of wandering, she had come to some confusing conclusions, though none of them had been able to incite the same feel of panic in her as her position before had. So what if the spirit particles felt less concentrated here? She didn't use them anyway. So what if everyone she had observed (from a safe distance of course) were wearing strange clothes? Fashion had never bothered her before, and she had seen some very strange styles back in the districts from some of the... livelier individuals.

So what if she couldn't seem to find any indication of a road home? She didn't want to go back there anyway.

It appeared as though she had arrived in one of the more deserted areas of this strange city, but her wanderings had taken her deeper into the city-proper without her really noticing so, when she heard the agonized scream from above her it took her quite by surprise.

Almost unconsciously, Rangiku sent a quick glance around her surroundings, noticing that sound could only have come from someone on the near by roof top, though for some reason, the few people that were still around on the street were seemingly pretending that nothing had happened. She thought about just leaving the noise and going back to her mindless wanderings, but the voice had sounded like that of a kid around her age...

Cursing her own compassion that was sure to get her killed at some point, the girl ran over to the side alley of the building she thought she had heard the scream from. It took some careful manoeuvring of some of the trash she found there, but eventually she was able to hoist herself up onto the flat roof, though what she found there was not like anything she had imagined.

Sitting hunched over at the very edge of the roof to her left, was the small form of a kid who must have been the one to shout earlier. From what she could see in the moonlight, his hair was the deep red colour of freshly spilled blood, but that wasn't what held her attention. No, she was soon distracted by the swirling tendril of what looked to be... sand? Floating around his head as though it was alive...

Edging closer, she studiously ignored the smoking lump that was probably the body of an adult at some point (by now she had seen far too many people killed for it to really effect her any more). It was with silent movements that she made her way closer to the shadow of who she was beginning to suspect was a boy, but somehow he still heard her, his head snapping round to stare her down with dark ringed jade eyes.

Having had to fend for herself for as long as she could remember, it was not often that Rangiku was frozen in place by a mere _look_ of all things, but as the boy, who she could now tell was a few years younger than her, turned to glare at her, it felt as though all of her muscles were suddenly frozen in place. Hell, even the air seemed to be thicker, and it was harder to breathe all of a sudden.

For a moment, the two children remained in place, simply staring at each other. Silent. Assessing. Until the red-head pushed himself to his feet, the sand shifting behind him the only thing betraying his agitation.

"Who are you?"

His voice was cold, like many of the older children she had come across in the slums... it made him seem dead inside, and for some reason, that made something in the girl's heart ache... it was a strong enough urge that she soon found herself telling the truth, though it had not been her intention.

"I heard you scream... I thought you might need help."

Her voice seemed so very small in the surroundings of an empty star filled sky, and the reasoning, though completely truthful, seemed weak even to her own ears. It was no surprise then that the boy's eyes narrowed with suspicion, a slim tendril of sand beginning to edge, unnoticed, towards her feet, moving silently through the shadows. Absently, Rangiku realised that she had not answered his question, instead she had just blurted out the first thing on her mind, but she couldn't help but think that was a good thing... something in her mind told her that it was best that this boy didn't learn her name just yet...

"Why?"

For a second, that question brought her up short, she had no idea what he was questioning, but then realisation hit, and she began to ask herself the same question.

"I don't know."

And she really didn't. Normally she wouldn't have just run off blindly to help someone she had never met before, surviving alone was hard enough with getting involved in other people's problems, but something had made her want to help this boy, to the extent that her body had started reacting even before she was even consciously aware of it.

Across from her, the boy's eyes only seemed to narrow once again, to the point where he was glaring at her through slits, before his entire stance seemed to relax and the sand retreated.

"Weird."

It was so unexpected, and stated in such a matter of fact way that Rangiku couldn't help it. The shock as the word registered was enough to spark off a rare fit of giggles, and she found herself in control of her body once again.

Moving to the edge next the to boy, following that voice that was telling her that this was the right thing to do, she flopped down next to him, so that her head rested lightly against his knees... and act that seemed to shock him more than her laughter had.

"Yeah... I guess I am."

For a few moments more, the boy only stared at her, a frown on his face as though he was trying to solve some complex puzzle, but was unable to. However, after about another 20 minutes of tense silence, he moved so that he was seated a few feet to her left, though his jade eyes never once left her face. In fact... it was because of this staring that she was able to make out the shimmering tear tracks that still streaked his pale face.

"Why were you crying?"

After the prolonged silence, the sound of her own voice was nearly enough to make the blonde jump, but she made sure to watch the boy for any reaction. It was because of this that she was able to catch the brief flash of pain that flared up before being stifled back into cold apathy. In some ways, she was already expecting her companion's response when he began to speak in an icy tone.

"My Uncle tried to kill me. I killed him instead."

The words themselves were shocking at first, but Rangiku forced herself not to respond. Instead, she chose to think.

In truth, she couldn't really find anything wrong with those statements, other than the flat way in which they were delivered. If someone had tried to kill her, she would have killed them too, if she had had the chance... it was either fight or die...

So instead of shying away from the sand tendrils that reached forwards to brush her face, the girl only sent the boy controlling them a short nod.

"It makes sense."

Once again, her words were clearly no what he had been expecting to hear, and his rigid control snapped, though only for a second this time. And it was almost with a smirk that he looked away from her, and out over the village that stretched out below them. It seemed so small from up here.

"Weird."

It was spoken as nothing more than a whisper this time, and she was pretty sure that she was not meant to have heard it. Still, she smiled over at him anyway.

"I know."

Silence fell over them once again, and as it seemed to drag on for a long time while both of the children traced their own thoughts. This time, it was the blonde to break first.

"A man tried to rape me today. I forced a broken bottle into his face so I could get away. He didn't come after me... I think he's dead."

It was surprisingly easy to talk about the nightmare that she had been caught up in only a short while before, but she must have been able to take some form of comfort from the boy's apathetic countenance as the words came out in a monotone. Instead of the fear she had been expecting at admitting her actions to both her companion and herself, Rangiku felt only a cold sense of detachment... it was nice.

In response to her words, the boy only sent her nod, mimicking the way that she had replied before. Though instead of speaking, he shifted himself so that he was a few inches closer to her, his sand moving to wrap around her shoulders in a way that others would probably have found threatening, but for her it offered only comfort.

"The people here call me a demon. My father wants to kill me."

"I often have to fight off men. I'm sure many of them would kill me if they got the chance."

For a while, their statements hung in the air around them, neither of them trying to comfort the other, or even really acknowledging that the either of them had spoken at all, but somehow it seemed to make Rangiku feel that little bit better.

"Humans are scum."

"I know."

Nothing more was said that night, but it was this that sparked off a friendship that had supported Rangiku for all of the years she had lived since. Although they never met like that again, nor were they truly able to see each other, they were still aware of the other's existence. It was enough to keep both of them from the dark depths of loneliness, and sometimes, in their dreams, they could talk once again, sharing the horrors of their daily lives. 5 years after their first meeting, Rangiku stumbled across a boy her age with silver hair and crimson eyes... a boy who quickly became her friend, though he would never replace her first friend in either her hear or her mind.

It got to the point where they were strong enough to talk to each other ever night... and it was something they made great use of... Together, they thought up the perfect plan. They would not try and change people's views on them... there would never be any point.

She said that she didn't care about those who did not see past her appearance, but, in truth, she glorified in it. What better way could you find to disguise yourself than by using a mask that others already wanted to force upon you? Let all of Serentei think that she was some mindless bimbo surviving on her looks alone. In the end, when the time came for her to show off her true self, she would be the one left laughing.

But for now, she would continue like this, living only for herself. Loving only herself. And perhaps Gin too... but only if Haineko approved of course.

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 **A/N: um... I have no idea where dark!Rangiku came from there... honestly... it was just meant to be her comforting Gaara... but oh well... it looks like Shukaku is contagious. Please don't kill me...**

 **I hope you enjoyed this update! Please let me know what you thought, and if you have any ideas for future chapters!**

 **Ella**


	3. Kotetsu Isane

**Warnings: hints of an attempted suicide.**

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 **Kotetsu Isane:**

From the very beginning of the dream, Isane had been on her guard. Having already experienced one harrowing nightmare that night, she was not all too eager to be facing another, which is why she had never minded her insomnia too much before. However, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that this dream was somehow… different.

No sooner had she closed her eyes for a second time that night than she found herself half way down a darkened hallway, though it was one unlike any she had ever seen before. Every few feet there were strips set into the ceiling that seemed to reflect the meagre light of the moon coming from the windows, and the walls themselves seemed to ooze an unidentifiable substance that she instinctively shied away from. These factors, when combined with the chill that permeated the air, were enough of a deterrent that, when the first signs of distress reached her ears, she had no reservations over searching for their source.

It didn't take her long to reach the only open door in the hallway (one that was more hanging off of its hinges than open to be perfectly honest,) though what she saw in the next room was enough to freeze her in place for a moment.

The room was in complete disarray, with what looked to be a bed upturned in the centre, and a pile of shattered wood that could once have been a cabinet in the corner. Then there was the blood… it was splattered over every surface, a long gash of it livid against the greying wall with even more leading to the dark mass near the bed. Without even having to think about it, the healer part of her brain already noticed that there was far too much of the liquid for it to be healthy.

Concerned, though unsure what she would be able to do, the shinigami dithered there in the door frame, frozen by her indecision, right up until the near silent whimper that had first caught her attention came again.

From a closer perspective, she could now see that the dark mass she had noticed before was actually two people, one lying on the ground with the second, smaller figure hunched over them. If she had to guess, Isane was sure that the noise had come from this second figure. She was also sure that this one was a child.

Unable to simply stand by any longer, the healer slowly made her way over to the room's inhabitants, making sure to make as much noise as possible while walking so as not to startle either of them, though it didn't appear to make much difference. The one on the floor was alarmingly still while the child seemed to be completely focused on her task and their… glowing green hands?

It took conscious effort on her part to ignore the metallic smell in the air that pulled at her healer's compassion, but Isane was eventually able to focus completely on her (irritatingly rusty) sensing abilities in order to decipher what the girl (it was most definitely a girl) was doing. It was strange… something that felt similar to riatsu, but was noticeably different, more… potent somehow, but it's intent was still clear. The girl was attempting to heal the woman on the floor though, even as the Lieutenant watched, the light began to flicker before dying completely.

" _Stupid… Worthless… This is your fault…"_

Though the words were little more than a whisper, the sheer vitriol they contained was enough to freeze the spirit in place once again, before she was snapped out of her shock by the motion of a small hand reaching out to snatch a strangely shaped knife out of the woman's hand. Unwilling to see where this would end, Isane acted, her own pale hand reaching out to grab the child's smaller one in a grip that was both gentle and firm.

"I don't think you need that little one."

Before the last few words had even left her mouth, the young girl was moving, seemingly alarmed by the presence of the unknown so close to her, though the shinigami couldn't really say that she was surprised. She simply withdrew her hand while the child span round to face her, pulling what appeared to be long, metal needles from the pouch on her leg as she placed herself firmly between the spirit and the woman on the floor.

In this new position, the girl had placed herself directly into the moonlight which made her appearance clearly visible to the white haired woman in front of her.

What was most glaringly obvious was the girls age, she could be no older that Kiyone though the haunted look in those dark eyes was enough to send a chill down the lieutenant's spine. No child should have eyes that tormented.

The next thing she noticed was that the girl looked to be as pale as she was, which was only accentuated by the crimson smears decorating her eyes from where she had obviously attempted to wipe away her tears… it was a strange combination… especially with her black hair.

"Who are you?"

The tone of those words was harsh, but the waver at the end was enough to lend it a brittle quality. Isane couldn't help but smile sadly. The girl was obviously terrified, but she had yet to move from her guarding position, even if it would have been better for her remain in the shadows. Attempting to look as soothing as she could, the healer took a half step forwards though she froze in place as the girl raised the needles once again.

"I mean you no harm. I only want to help."

Short, precise sentences that would be easy to digest while still conveying her honesty… hopefully. She didn't know what exactly it was that pushed her forwards, but there was something in the back of her mind screaming at her to _help this girl_.

"I don't _need_ help."

Despite these words however, the girl's eyes darted back down to the woman behind her, a worried look passing over her too pale features. Once again, the need to help the child surged up inside the spirit and this time, she was able to ignore the threatening gesture of the girl, moving right past her to crouch beside the body on the floor. Just one quick scan was enough to tell her exactly what had happened here, and to cause a cold weight to settle in her stomach.

"She's lost a lot of blood already, we need to stop her from losing any more… and try to stimulate the body into reproducing what it's lost."

Her words were cold and clinical, it was something that always happened when she went into 'medic mode' as her sister had named it, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Just from her initial scan of the blonde on the floor she could tell that the situation was worse than she had believe, and that had already been pretty bad.

For a second the girl seemed to falter, her emotions warring all across her face. It was clear that she didn't want this stranger so close to the defenceless woman on the floor, but the girl also knew that she was out of her depth and was desperate for any help she would receive. In the end, it seemed like her desperation won out as she soon dropped to the floor, the weapons disappearing back into their case.

"I tried to stop the bleeding, but I've never done anything like this before.. shishou only let me use fish… it's too much!"

It was quickly apparent that the girl was falling into hysterics, which was really not going to help the situation at all. Thinking fast, Isane quickly began asking questions hoping to distract her as the spirit began to inspect the slash mark on the nearest wrist.

"How long has she been like this?"

"I-I don't…I don't…"

The girl trailed off as Isane shot her a stern look. She knew that she was probably being far too hard on the girl who looked like she was about to go into shock, but something was telling her that she needed to do this… and it was right. Before her eyes the girl seemed to change, back straightening and a determined glint sparking up in her eyes. When she spoke, it was a tone reminiscent of the lower seats back in the Serentei when they reported to her.

"10, maybe 12 minutes. She sent me out to buy food for tonight, but when I returned she was like this."

12 minutes? Isane had to fight off a frown, from the amount of blood that had lost, she had thought it had only been about a third of that, by all rights the woman should have bled out by now, it didn't make any sense… unless…

Moving absently, Isane slowly pulled away from the woman on the floor, gesturing for the child to resume her prior position. After a few seconds of shock, she complied, though it was with a stunned expression that made the spirit smile. In this sort of situation, Isane would normally have just taken over and performed the healing herself, but the voice from before had returned, and it was warning her that this was important. The girl had to be the one to heal this woman.

Fixing a well-practiced and soothing smile on her face, the shinigami gesture towards the woman.

"I think you should try again."

Her voice was low, as though she was speaking to a wounded animal, and the look that she received from the child further enforced that image in her mind. Almost immediately, the dark haired girl began to splutter and her face paled even further, and confidence she had regain evaporating as quickly as it had appeared.

"B-but… I can't, it won't work… I'm not strong enough…"

Once again she fell silent at the lieutenants disapproving look. Any trace of warmth that had been in the smile before and solidified into ice.

"Then walk away. Just leave her there and run."

You would have thought that the words had been blows from her stricken look. It actually hurt the healer more than she had expected to see the sheer pain reflected in those dark eyes, but she didn't allow her expression to change. This was a lesson that was forced onto all new recruits when they joined the fourth, beaten into Isane's head by Itegumo from the very beginning of their partnerhip, and it would be passed onto this girl as well. As a healer, you could not allow yourself to doubt. Losing faith and giving up meant that the patient would never be healed… It was their job as a healer to force themselves beyond their limits, to dedicate all of their energy in to being better than anyone would expect. She could already tell, this girl would go far, she had already displayed the steel that was needed… all she needed now was to find her fire…

On the floor, the girl began to shake, her hands constantly clenching and relaxing where they lay on her lap. Isane could practically taste the indecision warring in her mind… all that was needed was a little push…

"After all, what could a child do? You already said you couldn't do it, so what's the point in trying? That woman's dead, no matter how you look at it."

Having said her piece, Isane started moving back towards the door though she only covered about two thirds of the distance before she heard the girl move again. Casting a quick glance back over her shoulder, her expression softened into a proud smile. The girl was leant over her master once again, hands glowing green and a fierce expression on her young face. Just as she reached the door, she faintly heard the girl muttering to herself and it was enough to make her grin grow wider.

" _Shishou, you're not going to die… I won't let you."_

For a few moments longer the spirit waited outside the room keeping a discreet vigil over its inhabitants. She didn't know what exactly she was waiting for… she just felt that she should stay and bear witness to this.

It took a further 3 minutes of maintained concentration from the girl before the woman on the floor began to stir, but this time the glowing light did not falter even once. When, eventually, the patient pushed herself into a semi-seated position (supported mostly by the child who was clinging to her for dear life) the shinigami beamed. This one, precious victory was enough to form a warm glow deep in her chest that lasted long into the following day.

It was moments like this, seeing times of despair morph into those of pure relief and light, that had inspired her to be a healer… and it was people like that girl that kept her improving ever after.

* * *

 **A/N: Not too fond of the ending… but there you go. What do you guys think? Oh, and a quick question:**

 **DO you guys want to see a reverse of this fic where you see a defining moment where the Naruto guys visit/ help their wielders?**


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